Backfire operation to close miles of Highway 1 near Big Sur

Published 12:22 am, Sunday, August 14, 2016

BIG SUR, Calif. (AP) — Several miles of Highway 1 by Big Sur on the Central Coast will be closed Sunday afternoon to help firefighters contain California's biggest wildfire.

The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection says both directions of the highway will be closed starting at 2 p.m., from Point Sur Lighthouse to Coast Ridge Road. The closure could last 24 hours so firefighters can set backfires to defend a containment line.

CalFire said the operation will only be conducted during favorable weather and that the closure will be re-evaluated on a regular basis.

The fire, which was started by an illegal campfire on July 22, has burned more than 112 square miles, destroyed 57 homes and led to the death of a man in a bulldozer accident. It is 60 percent contained.